After living in Mexico for 21 years, Andrea is proud to call Buffalo her home now. She has been a Prosperity Fellow since 2015 and expects to receive a dual degree in architecture and graphic design on spring 2018. During her time as a Fellow, her commitment to strengthening the Western New York region has shaped her as a leader in the areas of architecture and economic development. Today, the impact of her work can be seen in various neighborhoods and buildings around Buffalo. Through this fellowship, she worked as an intern for the Major’s Office of Strategic Planning where she actively contributed to the development and implementation of Buffalo’s new design guidelines in the recently enacted Green Code. She currently conducts faculty-mentored research and has won international attention from MexSocUk for her work in architectural historic preservation, creating a city ordinance to help restore the historic buildings that give its identity to Buffalo and its residents. She has contributed to the city’s progress through her involvement in the due diligence process for the administration of capital investment funds into blighted neighborhoods, and she surveyed the implementation of several of the Buffalo Billion programs. Upon graduation, Andrea will continue striving to bring positive change to WNY by pursuing a dual master’s degree in architecture (specializing in real estate development) and an MBA at UB in order to start a non-profit organization to help promote homeownership among disadvantaged families. She is a member of the Hispanic Women League of Western New York, Collegiate Leadership Institute of the Society of Women Engineers, and the National Organization of Minority Architecture Students chapter at UB. When she is not attending classes, Andrea enjoys bike rides around Buffalo and drinking coffee from local roasters.